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Family: Rubiaceae
mameicillo
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Description: A medium-sized forest tree, just growing into the canopy. Trunk of larger trees is usually somewhat irregular or fluted, but straight; branching is irregular. Bark is light brown, with fine fissures, soft (you can push it in a small amount with your finger). Leaves are opposite, long and fairly narrow, typically widest beyond the middle, with a very short petiole. There are two stipules on either side of the branch, between each pair of leaves, but these fall off quickly, leaving a scar around the branch. As juveniles, there is a single vertical stem with each leaf perpendicular to it; successive pairs of leaves are perpendicular to one another. In the shade, these successive pairs can be extremely close together, so 4 leaves can appear to arise from the same spot on the stem. Reproduction: Flowers are white or yellowish, small and inconspicuous in the canopy, produced from April to October. Fruits are unusual, in clusters of tiny brown pods, each pod about 1 mm wide by 1 cm long, the clusters a few cm long. They look like a dried branchlet from a spruce tree (the northern conifer used for Christmas trees) -- each little seed pod looks like a spruce needle. Each pod is filled with tiny winged seeds. Distribution: Only in the drier half of the isthmus. Abundant at Soberania and Barro Colorado Island and. Somewhat less common but still numerous in forests around Gamboa. Scarce in forests around Panama City. Where present, saplings are numerous in the shaded forest understory. Similar Species: The long, opposite leaves, broader beyond the middle, are reasonably distinctive, and easy to spot in the canopy; couple with the soft bark, adults can thus be learned pretty easily. The nearly-whorled arrangement of leaves on stems of juveniles is also reasonably distinctive. But other Rubiaceae can be confused, especially LK geniam Genipa americana, LK2 which, however, is scarce inside the forest and has much different bark. LK anacex Anacardium excelsum LK2 and LK gustsu Gustavia superba LK2 have long leaves shaped like those of Alseis, and are often confused, but both have alternate leaves. LK poutfo Pouteria fossicola LK2 can also be confused with Alseis, since it has leaves clustered at the end of the stem or branch, but Pouteria produces lots of white latex when the leaf is broken. Uses: The wood is not high quality, and occasionally used for carpintry, furniture, or plywood, but seldom sold commercially. Descripción: Árbol de 10 a 30 m de alto. Tronco con raíces tablares pequeñas en la base. En plantas juveniles el tronco es recto y no presenta ramificaciones. Corteza exterior algo suberosa y de color crema. Ramitas terminales simpodiales. Hojas simples y opuestas, de 6-20 x 3-7 cm, oblanceoladas, con ápice agudo, bordes enteros y base aguda a obtusa. Las hojas se encuentran agrupadas en los ápices de las ramitas. Estípulas deciduas. Pecíolo de 1-2.5 cm de largo, hinchados en la base y ligeramente acanalados en la parte superior. Inflorescencias en espigas terminales. Flores blancas y aromáticas. Frutos en cápsulas, de 1-1.5 cm de largo, verdes, tornándose negros y dehiscentes al madurar. Semillas aladas y pequeñas. Datos Ecológicos: La especie crece a bajas elevaciones, en bosques húmedos o muy húmedos. En Panamá se encuentra en las provincias de Colón, Panamá y Darién. Común y fácil de observar en bosques de la isla de Barro Colorado y del Parque Nacional Soberanía. Deja caer parcialmente sus hojas durante la estación seca, pero las repone a inicios de la estación lluviosa. Florece y fructifica de abril a diciembre. Especies Parecidas: A menudo se confunde con LK anacex Anacardium excelsum LK2 y LK gustsu Gustavia superba LK2 , pero ambas especies tienen hojas simples y alternas. También se puede confundir con LK poutfo Pouteria fossicola LK2 , pero P. fossicola tiene savia lechosa y presenta hojas simples y alternas. LK geniam Genipa americana LK2 es un poco parecido, pero en G. americana las hojas son más anchas, las flores son amarillas y los frutos son bayas globosas. Usos: La madera es empleada en la carpintería, mobiliario, entarimados, ebanistería y en el contrachapado. |
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